A Gateway to Madness
by Atlantima
Summary: Thomas thinks he's found a way to the Pokèmon world. He doesn't get there, but he gets...somewhere... Chapter 13 is up!
1. 4:03 AM Day 1

A Gateway to Madness  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, I don't WANT to own Pokémon, if I owned Pokémon this would be a movie, not a book. I also don't own Game Boy (Color) or Post-It notes. Any resemblance to actual people/places or people/places in other fanfics is accidental, excluding Alex Butler. The only things I own are Thomas Andrew Parker, Dr. Janet Hillson, and all other characters in this story, excluding Alex Butler. Alex Butler is (c) 1990 John & Eileen Butler. LOL  
Game Boy (Color/Advance) and Pokémon (Gold/Crystal) (c) 2001 NintendoPost-It notes (c) 3M  
  
Note: Alex Butler is my brother, who has given me permission to represent him in this story.  
  
Note: Although I own the characters, you are free to use them in your own fanfics, as long as you include a note saying that you got them from CooliaCat.  
  
Note: If you find any plot holes or spelling errors, tell me in your review. I'll be very grateful.  
  
4:03 am  
  
Thomas started to pack. In just an hour, he'd be in paradise. That is, if his theory worked. But, then again, how could it NOT work? He had read every book in the Philadelphia Public Library on parallel universes, Pokémon, and portable electronics.  
Thomas Andrew Parker was a Pokémaniac. He didn't go to church, preferring to worship by meditating to the soundtrack of the latest Pokémon movie. His prayers were PokéRaps. His internet screen name was IMPokeMan (I am Poké-Man).  
Today was the first day of Thomas' freshman high school year, but he wasn't going to school. He found his Post-It notes in the shape of a PokéBall, grabbed a pencil with a Pikachu-shaped eraser, and wrote the following note:  
  
Dearest family,  
  
I am leaving this world to pursue other opportunities. Don't worry, I'm not committing suicide. If you want to see me, turn on the Pokémon show.  
  
IMPokéMan  
  
Tommy P.  
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Author's Note: Please review! I'll R & R at least one fic by each person who reviews. 


	2. 4:40 AM Day 1

Disclaimer: Hey, if you're reading this, chances are you've already read the disclaimer in part one. Plus, I don't own Little League.  
  
A Gateway to Madness  
  
4:40 AM  
  
Slumped in a bus seat, Thomas eyed the Poké-Finder. He had built the hand-held device from his old Game Boy, which he didn't need anymore because A) he had a Game Boy Advance, and B) he wouldn't need a game when he was in the real thing!  
  
Finally, a dot appeared on the screen. He exited the bus, hauling 4 suitcases in a cart, while at the same time watching his invention.  
  
The red dot flashed in the upper right-hand corner. This showed where the nearest interdimensional passage was. Thomas turned around slowly until the dot was centered at the top. He started walking. The dot slowly moved down until it was exactly in the middle. The boy looked around. He was in a baseball field where the local Little League team played. Thomas flicked a switch on the Poké-Finder. Nothing happened.  
  
"Shoot. I thought I had it there," he thought out loud. He examined the finder's many buttons, trying to find out what was wrong.  
  
"Ah-hah! There's the problem; I didn't have the sound on." The redheaded Pokémaniac flipped the MUTE switch to OFF, remembering that he had turned it ON during the bus ride to avoid drawing attention to himself.  
  
A dull bleeping filled the air. The boy rotated ever so slowly to his left. The sound grew fainter. Thomas turned to the right, and it increased in pitch and volume until   
  
FLASH! He was blinded by light; CRACK! Thunder deafened his ears, and he lost conciousness.  
  
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P.S. The last thing he thought before he passed out was, "Thank you fanfic writer for not saying 'fainted'." LOL  
  
Please review! I need your input, suggestions, criticism, and comments to help me with future chapters and fanfics. 


	3. 5:17 AM Day 1

A Gateway to Madness  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Game Boy Advance or Pokèmon Gold.  
  
5:17 AM  
  
He awoke to see a nurse bending over him.  
  
"Nurse Joy!" he exclaimed.  
  
"No, my name is Jan," she replied, donning a pair of latex gloves. "Or you can call me Dr. Hillson."  
  
"But all the nurses are named Joy!" he raved. "That's just how it is in the...I mean, that's how it is here!"  
  
"Of course, honey," Jan answered absently. "Now sit still, I'm going to check your pulse."  
  
Thomas looked around the room. There was nothing in it to suggest that this was the Pokèmon world. In fact, there was nothing in it at all except the bed he was lying on, some chairs, a table, and the nurse's supply box.  
  
While Dr. Hillson recorded Tom's pulse rate and started checking his blood pressure, the boy thought things over. This had to be the Pokèmon world; he was sure of it. Perhaps Pokèmon were kept separate from the humans in the hospital. As for the doctor's name...well, she was a doctor, not a nurse, and therefore had a unique name.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by said doctor tapping on his shoulder. "I'm going to ask you some questions," she said, in a serious tone of voice, "and I want you to answer truthfully.  
  
"What is your full name?"  
  
"Thomas Andrew Parker."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"14."  
  
"Where do you live?"  
  
"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." He wondered, briefly, if they would accept that as true; he had never seen either word on a Pokè-map. She seemed unfazed, though, and continued debriefing the Pokèmaniac as though nothing was out of the ordinary.  
  
"Do you know where you are?"  
  
This query struck Thomas as strange. Did they think he'd lost his mind?  
  
"Thomas? Answer the ques-"  
  
"I assume I'm in some sort of freakin' weird PokèCenter!" he blurted.  
  
This, however, seemed to confuse Dr. Hillson. She stood up and informed him, with faked cheeriness, that those were all the questions. She handed him a form to fill out, and walked to the door as if to leave. When he didn't hear the sound of a door opening, Thomas looked up and saw her tap a button next to the light switch.  
  
"What's that?" Startled by the boy's abrupt question, Jan swiveled round to face him.  
  
"It's just...to tell the doctor that I'm done."  
  
"Aren't *you* the doctor?"  
  
"No, I'm just...in training." She looked anxious and avoided making eye contact with Thomas.  
  
His eyes lit up, and all other worries left his mind. "I'm in training, too! I'm gonna be a Pokèmon master!"  
  
The doctor-in-training flinched. Biting her lip, she abruptly left the room, popping her head back in for a moment to say that she had work to do.  
  
What the hell was wrong with these people? Thomas couldn't figure it out. They seemed to avoid talking about Pokèmon. Suddenly, he hit on an answer. They must know that I'm from another world, he thought, and don't know how I know about Pokèmon! Thomas relaxed and took out his Game Boy Advance, which still had "Pokèmon Gold" in it from the last time he played.  
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What do you think? I'm sorry if you think it's going slow, but I'm building up to the main part of the story. Please review! 


	4. 6:16 AM Day 1

A Gateway to Madness  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Game Boy Advance, Little League, or Pokemon. I DO own Doctor Bradley Davis.  
  
Part 4  
  
6:16 AM ~ Day 1  
  
Thomas lay on his hospital bed, snoozing lightly. His GameBoy Advance sat, unused, next to him. Suddenly, someone was shaking him awake.  
  
"The Little League team found him in the baseball field. He's been talking about...IT." This was Dr. Hillson talking. "I gave him the shot when he fell asleep."  
  
"My gosh, IT! Are you sure?" A new voice, a deep male voice.  
  
"What's IT?" Thomas asked. He opened his eyes to see an old man. "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Doctor Bradley Davis. You can call me Brad. Come with me, Thomas."  
  
Janet picked up the GameBoy, glanced at the screen, and fell over.  
  
They left the boy's stuff in the room. As they exited, Brad pushed another button which read "FAINT". Thomas was going to ask if that was for Pokemon too, but the sights of the hospital hallway silenced him.  
  
Children in wheelchairs rolled past. Men with canes limped along. And two teenagers in straightjackets were herded into a room marked "APA". This was the room which Brad took Thomas to, saying that he was "free to roam in here."  
  
The room was more than just a room; it was more like an apartment. The main part was like a living room. Part of it was partitioned off to be a kitchen, and as Thomas walked down a hallway, he saw six bedrooms, three on each side, each one with a number on it. At the end of the hall were three rooms marked "Clean Room", "Vent Room", and "Bath Room". Entering the bathroom, he saw that it had stalls, four with toilets, four with showers. He used the restroom and washed his hands.  
  
Someone was calling his name. "Thomas! to the clean room!" Anxious to see what the "Clean Room" was, he ran over to it. A woman was waiting for him.  
  
"Hello. I am Tonya Brown. I'll be your therapist. So, you like Pokemon?"  
  
He had almost forgotten Pokemon. "God, yes! I love Pokemon! That's why I came here."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Because I love Pokemon!"  
  
"Perhaps I should rephrase that; where is here?"  
  
"The Poke-World!"  
  
"How would you feel if I told you that this is the regular world?"  
  
"I'd say I'd have to try again."  
  
"What if I said that there are no Pokemon?"  
  
"I'd say 'CRAP! FUCK! DAMN! SHIT! CRAP!'"  
  
"You already said crap."  
  
"Oh, thanks."  
  
"Well, there are no Pokemon."  
  
"CRAP! FUCK! DAMN! SHIT! um, GOOBERS!"  
  
"Well, that's a start."  
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	5. 7:29 AM Day 1

A Gateway to Madness  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokèmon or Atlantis.  
  
Part 5  
  
7:29 AM ~ Day 1  
  
Thomas and Tonya talked for a while.  
  
"Well, Thomas, I think we have a unique case with you, so-"  
  
DING!  
  
"Oh! Movie time!"  
  
"What are we watching?"  
  
"Atlantis."  
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IN THE LIVING ROOM  
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"The Shepherd's Journal, the key to finding Atlantis, lies not in Ireland, but in Iceland! Pause for effect. Gentlemen, I'll take your questions now."  
  
RING!  
  
"Would you excuse me for a second? Cartography and Linguistics, Milo Thatch speaking."  
  
Thomas was almost asleep. This was the most boring movie he had ever watched. He was beginning to regret attempting to reach the Pokèmon world. Even worse, they had confiscated all of his Pokèmon things! Before he knew it, he WAS asleep.  
  
I wanna be the very best  
Like no one ever was  
To catch them is my real test  
To train them is my cause  
I will travel across the land  
Searching far and wide  
Teach Pokèmon to understand  
The power that's inside  
Pokèmon, gotta catch 'em  
It's you and me  
I know it's-  
  
Someone was shaking him awake. "How are you ever going to cleanse your mind of Pokèmon if you don't watch this?"  
  
"This journal is his gift to you. Atlantis is waiting."  
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LATER  
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"We would sell roses, carnations, babies' breath. One day, we're making about 6 dozen of these corsages for the prom, you know, the ones they put on their wrist; and they all come running in shouting 'Where is it? When is it? Does it match my dress?' It was a nightmare. Anyway, I guess there was this leak next door of gas-"  
  
What does this have to do with Atlantis? Thomas was wondering.  
  
DING!  
  
"Lunchtime!"  
  
They piled into the kitchen as the counselor stopped the movie in the middle of Vinny's rant.  
  
The other kids had their straightjackets taken off and they introduced themselves. The brown-haired boy said, "I'm Steve Louis." The blonde girl said, "My name is Samantha Lee."  
  
The lunch was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tomatoes, and bananas. "They told us about you," said Steve.  
  
"You're Thomas Andrew Parker," Samantha added. "You thought you were in the Pokèmon world."  
  
"No saying Pokèmon!" snapped a counselor. "Saying Pokèmon is only allowed in the Vent Room and the Clean Room."  
  
"You must be crazier than us," continued Samantha, as though nothing had happened.  
  
"Less talk, more eat!" shouted the counselor again. "You can talk later, in the Vent Room."  
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	6. 12:30 PM Day 1

A Gateway to Madness  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokèmon or Game Boy Advance.  
  
Part 6  
  
12:30 PM ~ Day 1  
  
After lunch, they were sent into the Vent Room. The other kids' straightjackets were not put back on. The three Pokèmaniacs were locked in. As soon as the key clicked in the door, Steve and Samantha began to sing.  
  
"I wanna be the very best  
Like no-one ever was"  
  
Thomas joined in after glancing around the room.  
  
"To catch them is my real test  
To train them is my cause  
I will travel across the land  
Searching far and wide"  
  
The walls were covered, graffiti-like, in notes and pictures; a memorial to Pokèmaniacs who had been and gone.  
  
"Teach Pokèmon to understand  
the power that's inside  
Pokèmon, gotta catch 'em"  
  
Thomas read as he sang:  
  
August 25th, 2010  
Program starts.  
there are too many of us to count.  
WE ARE:  
  
David Saunders  
Marilyn Saunders  
Anita Rodriguez  
Sammy Davis  
  
The list went on and on.  
  
"It's you and me  
I know it's my destiny  
Pokèmon"  
  
October 6th 2010  
Testing starts.  
October 10  
Elimination.  
  
"Oh, you're my best friend  
In a world we must defend  
Pokèmon, Gotta catch 'em  
A heart so true"  
  
October 15 2010  
We number 12.  
  
"Our courage has pulled us through  
You teach me and I'll teach you  
Po-kè-mon  
Gotta catch 'em all  
Gotta catch 'em all  
Pokèmon!"  
  
As they finished the song, Thomas had more questions spinning in his head than ever before, but he couldn't even ask one before the others started answering them.  
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Review, and I'll review at least one of yours! 


	7. 12:40 PM Day 1

Chapter 8  
  
A Gateway to Madness  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, Game Boy, or The Giver.  
  
Note: In case you're wondering why I put all that stuff about my brother in the disclaimer for Chapter 1, he will be showing up much later in the story.  
  
Part 6  
  
12:40 PM ~ Day 1  
  
The others explained that the Vent Room had previously been the Test Room.  
  
"The doctors used the Test Room to find out who could be persuaded to forget about Pokémon," Steve said. "  
  
"But why do they hate Pokémon so much?" Thomas asked, shocked.  
  
"No-one knows," Samantha replied sadly.  
  
"They installed tape recorders, but as soon as it was the Vent Room, our ancestors disabled them." Thomas soon learned that the Pokemaniacs of this world had a different vocabulary. Some of it was written on the wall:  
  
Ancestors- People who were in The Cage previously.  
The Cage- The APA wing.  
APA wing- Where you are now.  
Survivior- One who is not eliminated.  
Eliminate-  
  
Thomas asked what "eliminate" meant.  
  
"Lemme put it this way," answered Steve. "Have you ever read 'The Giver'?"  
  
"Yeah, for a school assignment."  
  
"Well...'eliminate' means 'release'."  
  
"You must make your mark!" said Samantha, handing Thomas a marker.  
  
He wrote:  
  
February 5, 2015  
  
We number 3.  
  
Thomas Andrew Parker  
  
From a world where Pokemon is   
  
CELEBRATED! 


	8. 12:50 PM Day 1

Chapter 8  
  
12:50 PM ~ Day 1  
  
"You mean you really ARE from another world?" gasped Steve.  
  
"Yeah, where do you think I got this?" he responded, remembering what was in his pocket.  
  
"What the hell?" They stared at the video game.  
  
"It's called Pokemon Crystal."  
  
Samantha went to a door which looked like it went into the Bath Room. She returned a moment later with a Game Boy.  
  
"Don't you have Advances?" Thomas queried.  
  
"Yes but they've been fixed so that Pokemon games won't-"  
  
"GET IT."  
  
She did. With a quick glance into the device, he knew what to do.  
  
"Can I borrow your necklace?"  
  
Steve handed him the tiny cross on a string. He poked the long end around in the machine until he heard a snap.  
  
"You broke it!"  
  
"No. Try the Crystal now."  
  
It worked perfectly.  
  
Thomas spent his afternoon cataloguing the myriad notes and drawings, to be published when he got back to his world. Steve doodled pokemon and plans to get get to what he called "ParkeWorld" or Parker world. Samantha made little progress on pokemon Crystal before 3:30, when she gathered the boys' papers and the games and showed Thomas the secret compartment in the bathroom where they kept them.  
  
At 3:45, a counselor took Samantha to the Clean room for therapy. Through a hole near the floor, Thomas watched until he was bored.  
  
At 4:30, Samantha's therapy was over; they could hear her being taken to her room.  
  
"They have another lockable door between the hall and the main room," Steve told him, "That way we can go to the bathroom from our bedrooms, but the'll be sure we don't escape."  
  
Steve was taken to tharapy at 5:00. At 6, Thomas was taken. 


	9. 10:01 PM Day 1

A Gateway to Madness  
  
10:01 PM ~ Day 1  
  
Thomas jumped angrily into the lumpy hospital bed. They hadn't let him eat   
  
dinner; instead, they'd given him a second helping of therapy. It turned out   
  
that "misbehaving" as they'd referred to it, was not taken lightly.  
  
"Misbehaving," he muttered. What's wrong with falling asleep during a boring   
  
movie? Everything, according to Tonya. He recalled the conversation they'd just   
  
finished.  
  
"Why wouldn't you want to watch it?"  
  
"It's boring! And stupid!"  
  
"Pokémon is stupider and more boring," was the reply.  
  
He had been amazed at the matter-of-fact way she'd said it; as if she was simply   
  
telling him that James was stupider than Jessie, or that Snorlax was more boring   
  
than Pikachu.  
  
He'd never been more confused in his life. The one thing he was sure of was   
  
this: He wasn't in the Pokéworld.  
  
DING! An announcement followed the bell.  
  
"Lights out for all patients in the APA wing."  
  
The lights went out with a click.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thomas was in a forest surrounded by Caterpies. Reaching for a PokéBall, he   
  
started to capture them. He'd just caught the 4th one when Tonya Brown's voice   
  
rang out.  
  
"Prepare for trouble!"   
  
Dr. Bradley Davis joined in. "And make it double!"   
  
"To protect the world from devastation!"   
  
"To unite all people within our nation!"   
  
"To denounce the evils of Pokémon!"   
  
"To extend our reach to the stars beyond!"   
  
"Tonya!"   
  
"Brad!"   
  
"APA blasts off at the speed of light!"  
  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"   
  
Before Thomas could make any sense of it, they had captured him in a huge net,   
  
along with the Caterpies. The net was attached to a huge crane; it lifted up in   
  
the air, then lowered him toward a giant trash compactor.  
  
"Aaaaaaaah!!!!" Thomas sat up in bed, shaking with fear. Once he realized that   
  
it had been a dream, he tried to relax. He took a few calming breaths and went   
  
back to sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thomas awoke to the sound of voices in the next room. He listened closely, and   
  
was shocked at what he was hearing.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
AN: What were they saying? What the heck was that dream about? Who or what is   
  
the APA? Find out in the next episode of Gateway Mad Ness! (sorry, my brother's   
  
DBZ obsession is rubbing off on me) 


	10. 3:50 AM Day 2

Bradley Davis' voice, snobbish and demanding, reached Tom's ears. "...no idea. He had a whole bunch of luggage and crap, like he was expecting to get here."  
  
Tonya's voice now, stubborn, a bit whiney. "But the lightning; they were all found after a lightning storm."  
  
"That's not important. That kid's...bizarre."  
  
"They're all bizarre." An unfamiliar person spoke. "This whole damn business is bizarre! We need-"  
  
"Answers, yes, sir-"  
  
"No, Davis. Enough answers. We need _progress_. The whole point of the APA project was to weed them out. Exterminate them. The hospital board is talking about shutting it down." The others gasped. "Not that they don't believe...they feel just as strongly about this as we do. But they're starting to think we're wasting our time. The only reason we aren't getting fired as we speak is because those crazy kids keep ending up here. We need to find out how they're getting here and _stop_ them."  
  
Thomas tried to understand it all. Some of this sounded familiar.  
  
~Wait a second,~ he thought. ~Are they going to close the portal?~ His train of thought was interrupted by Janet.  
  
"The Magus might know. We could ask him."  
  
"How many times must I tell you, Hillson? The Magus is only to be consulted on strategical matters! Now get started on that research trip!"  
  
~Who the heck is this "Magus" guy? And what trip are they talking about?~ Thomas glanced at his watch. ~Omigosh! 4 o'clock. I'd better sleep on it.~ 


	11. 12:20 PM Day 6

12:10 PM ~ Day 6  
  
Thomas picked halfheartedly at his meatloaf, trying to coax his brain into thinking. He couldn't stimulate his mind with the oppression of the hospital staff all around him. Dammit and blast it, the boy thought. He felt in need of some guidance and advice. Samantha and Steve couldn't help him there; they had settled back into what seemed their normal mindset, never cheering up. True, they seemed happy enough when they sang the Pokémon theme song, or played Pokémon Crystal, but it was a charade. Besides, Samantha had finished the Crystal yesterday.  
There must be some way to circumvent the security system, said Thomas's brain. But how?  
Then, suddenly, he almost fell out of his chair. Of course! When he had first been taken into this 'APA Wing', the others had been coming back to it! They were taken out, for some reason.  
When he casually asked Samantha why, she answered him without even looking up.  
"Ah, they needed to put in the new surveillance system. They take us out every time there's some kind of repair to be done."  
Tom eyed the security camera near the ceiling, its red light flashing at him almost evilly, and realized it was the same kind that he had taken apart to make his Inter-Dimensional Transporter. They were easy enough to disarm, but repairing them was agony. A plan for escape started to piece itself together in his mind, and the old spark came back to the boy's eyes.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
The next day, in The Vent Room, he related his idea to the other children.  
"I'll stand on a counter in the bathroom and dismantle a unit, then when they discover it, we should be taken to wherever you guys were...."  
"The C&R."  
"Ok, and from there we'll formulate an escape strategy. How long were you kept there last time?"  
"About a half day," replied Samantha, as Steve nodded in assent.  
"It'll take longer this time," the redhead remarked, "They can't just replace 'em; this brand of security alarms doesn't come with a warranty." They agreed, and he went to break the alarm.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
As Thomas returned, a voice came over the loudspeaker. "Attention APA staff. Repairs are required on the security system in your wing. Please escort your patients to the C&R Department on the second floor."  
"Piece of junk alarm system!" Bradley Davis was heard to say. Moments later, he opened the door and dragged them out of the wing.  
"Come on, come on," he said, as counselors tied them into straightjackets. "Got to get you to C&R."  
They were steered down several floors. Thomas hadn't known it until now, but the APA wing was on the 9th floor. In his pants pocket, he had his tiny journal, full of notes from the Vent Room's walls. Soon, they were in a large room, the door of which read 'Contraband and Records Dept.'  
Contraband? wondered the boy. Ah, this may prove useful.  
Filing cabinets and bookcases lined the walls and formed aisles, making the room appear smaller. Their restraints were removed, and they were taken to three cots at the back of the room. The counselors left.  
"What do we do now?" Thomas asked. "Do you have a schedule?"  
"Nah; we're just supposed to sleep," Samantha answered.  
"And stay out of the way of the C&R secretary." Steve added, pointing at a desk near the door. Thomas looked. A woman sat there, seeming not to even notice them. This was working out better than he could've imagined.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Thomas woke in the night and crept along a row of bookcases. The secretary was gone. Yes! he silently cheered.  
Where do they keep the contraband? he thought. He assumed they meant the stuff confiscated from Pokémon fans, but where? Putting that question on the back burner, he found the file marked APA PATIENTS: PACKARD-PERRY and pulled out his file. It read, in part:  
  
Parker, Thomas Andrew  
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  
Hair: Red  
Eyes: Hazel  
Skin: Caucasian  
Level: 98%  
Contraband:  
  
There followed an index of what he'd brought with him, then:  
  
Stored in vaults 9, 10, and 11  
  
If he planned to escape, he'd need to change this information to avoid recognition. Five minutes and one bottle of white-out later, the Thomas Parker on the hospital's file had brown hair, blue eyes. There was still the problem of the electronic records, though. He got on the secretary's computer, which, stupidly, had a Post-It note on the front reading, "Database pass: 87f9j"  
In 3 minutes, the work was done. But he had to not give them a chance to notice it, which meant that he'd need to escape tonight.  
A restroom door opened off the main room. After he finished his business, Thomas noticed another door. Through this one was a smallish locker room with a third door opening to outside. On the back of the door hung a keyring, and it was hard for Thomas not to laugh at the stupidity of these folks as he got his transporter. Team Rocket at their stupidest could have gotten in or out of here. He returned to the files to remove the device from his Contraband list, then wracked his brain as to whether he should bring the others.  
No, he decided, he'd have a better chance to help them from outside. He left the hospital and snuck into the night, feeling as if he deserved a Gym Badge. 


	12. 5:13 AM Day 8

Keeping an ear out for those that might be looking for him, Thomas walked cautiously down the street. It seemed familiar to him, familiar, but in an unfamiliar guise. This world he found himself in was not Poké-World, but neither was it his own. The boy soon realized he was unconsciously heading for the local HobbyTown, but, when he got there, found it had been replaced with a Starbucks. He sat on a bus stop bench and sighed, beginning to wonder what he'd be learning at school right now. A passing word interrupted his thoughts, and he looked around.  
  
Next to him, a woman in a red coat was reading a paper. "Lord James, what is the world coming to?" she mumbled, turning the page.  
  
Lord James? Thomas turned the words over in his mind, sure he'd heard them before. As the woman stood up to board the bus, a quarter fell out of her pocket. Thomas picked it up and, not wanting to attract attention, pocketed it.  
  
Now that he'd managed to escape, he wasn't sure what to do. On a hunch, he thought of home. Studying the bus schedule, he saw he could fortunately get there for 25 cents. While he waited for the 4E bus that'd take him there, Tom eyed the newspaper machine. The headline was "Tennafly signs E&C Proposition" and showed a photo of a government official.  
  
Next to the newspaper machine was the local free periodical "The Philly". Tom picked it up as he boarded the bus. He let it fall open at a random page.  
  
FAD COUNCIL TALKS WITH HEADS OF SCIENCE  
  
The FAD council met with the Science Department yesterday, in a meeting to resolve recent worries of a confidential nature. The FAD would only say that the APA would not be involved unless absolutely necessary.  
  
  
  
This only served to confuse Thomas more. There's that "APA" thing again... He put it out of his mind as the bus approached his house.  
  
Thomas felt around under the Welcome mat for the spare key. Unlocking the door, he heard water running, and his sister singing off-key. The stairs creaked under his feet as the kid headed to his room.  
  
"Ah, back home again." he sighed, turning the knob to reveal....  
  
"OH...DIDDLY! MY ROOM!" 


	13. 5:42 AM Day 8

5:42 AM ~ Day 8

If Thomas had been in Pokeworld, he was sure he would've facefaulted. As it was, he simply gaped at the atrocity his room had become.

Here was his dresser, where he displayed his plastic collectibles. But there was nothing there except a dance trophy.

And his walls; stripped of their posters, now "decorated" with a clock and glow-in-the-dark stars.

Cautiously, Thomas approached the only familiar thing, his red CD player. It was exactly the same, only sans Pikachu sticker. He reached out and pressed "Play".

__

Some giant named Hagrid told me I was a wizard

He told me why my parents were dead

There was an evil dark wizard who killed 'em with his wand

But just left me with a scar on his forehead

That's Weird Al! he thought. Weird Al, who sang "Polkamon"! Thomas sank into the bed, oblivious of the floral, non-Jigglypuff sheets, reveling in this one connection, however small, between him and his parallel self.

__

Well, the owls start coming

And they don't stop coming

Fed up with this

Vernon got the car running

"Wait a minute. Weird Al never sang a song like that..."

He grabbed the cover to the CD. "Polkamon" was missing, replaced by something called "All Scar".

__

Didn't make sense and it wasn't fair

He drove us almost everywhere

So much to do so much to see

So let's go to Diagon Ally

Dragon Ally? What in the name of Entei is this song about? Thomas wondered. 

Suddenly, he realized the water wasn't running anymore. His sister was out of the shower. He needed to get out of the house, NOW!

Slowly, he crept down the stairs.


End file.
